Scourge of the Dragons (20 page)

“As strange as it sounds, I will miss this
place,” Hadrin said.

“We lost our home and found hospitality in a
foreign place, not many would call it strange to miss that,”
Alandra said.

“Do you really think the elves won’t allow
you back?” Bertram asked.

“I do, but Cristoph was kind enough to let
us stay at the monastery until things change,” the Prince
replied.

“It gives us a base of operations, that
should be helpful,” Wrotan said.

“A base of operations for what?”

“Our first goal should be to free Kade.
After that, who knows? Perhaps we can discuss how to weaken both
sides of the conflict.”

“I should have commented sooner, but not all
of us are traveling to the Arcane Academy,” Lamont said.

“What do you mean?” Amber asked.

“Bertram and his paladins will escort the
elves back to the monastery where they will help bolster the
defense in case we are targeted. The four of us will travel west
and then south into the arcane academy lands. It is our only real
option.”

“In that case, I wish you safe travels,”
Bertram said as he extended his arm to the hunter.

“To you as well,” Wrotan said as he clasped
arms with the paladin.

Bertram watched as the others said their
goodbyes. He thought it strange that Lamont withheld the
information for so long, but there was little he could do about it.
The monastery needed him now more than ever. He called together his
paladins and checked with the elves before ordering the march.
There was no telling what they would stumble across now that all
the pieces were moving, but the paladin knew better than to let
that bother him. He sent two of his scouts out ahead of the rest of
the group to ensure that they didn’t run into any ambushes. They
had already encountered the slavers on the way to meet the dwarves
and the initiation of war would only cause an influx of
bandits.

“Be on the lookout, my friends. The world is
changing.”

Wrotan took the lead as the small company
cut south across the plains of the kingdom of Levik. The first few
days through the dwarven lands had been uneventful. Their trek
would lead them through the two western kingdoms. The hunter and
his companions had never been this far to the west, but they
weren’t going to let that stop them. Each member of the party had
their own reason for making the trek. Amber felt partially
responsible for getting Kade into the mess that he was now in.
Mariah had volunteered to assist Amber and Julian, but it was
Julian’s death that caused her to push so hard. Wrotan had made a
promise to bring Kade back from whatever nightmare he was living.
Lamont, however, had not been so open with his reasons for
accompanying the others.

“Why have you accompanied us?” The hunter
asked as he came alongside the monk.

“I was wondering when you would ask me that.
If only I could say that I am here out of my sense of honor or
duty, but alas my motives are not entirely selfless. Yes, I do wish
to assist this young man named Kade. Partially because the shadow
beasts are my enemies, but also because I think that both you and
this young man hold the key to the spirit world,” Lamont
replied.

“Neither of us is even close to being an
expert on the spirit world. Why would we be critical to
understanding the other world?”

“It is my belief that there are three
realms. Our world, the spirit world, and the shadow world. Each of
these realms is occupied by a set or multiple sets of beings. The
spirit world and the shadow world as constantly at war with one
another. Both you and Kade have a connection to the shadow world.
Your connection has been severed and we are looking to break the
dragon’s hold on your friend. Once this has happened, we will be
able to use your connection without them knowing. If we are lucky,
the spirit warriors will help us to destroy the shadow dragons and
their allies.”

“You mean to say that the dragons have other
shadow allies?”

“It is a theory, but I believe it to be
true.”

“Let us hope that these spirit warriors of
yours are up to the task.”

“I am certain they will be.”

“How can you be sure?” Wrotan asked.

“If I am not mistaken, they are already
doing what they can to weaken the shadow dragons. How else can you
explain the dragon hunters? They abhor the beasts with a hatred
that is nearly unexplainable. Plus they are extraordinarily
proficient at killing the creatures. I believe it is because they
are used to fighting shadow dragons. Whether the dragon hunters are
actual spirit warriors or they have been trained by the spirit
warriors, I do not know,” Lamont replied.

“That is hard to believe, but I will keep an
open mind.”

The hunter dropped back to contemplate the
monk’s words. He needed time to process the theories held by his
new traveling companion. It was highly unlikely that he was lying
about any of it, which left two possibilities. Either Lamont
believed it all to be true or he was a madman. Neither of those
options gave Wrotan any comfort. While there was nothing wrong with
having a differing opinion, Lamont seemed to have a strange
adulation for those that he called spirit warriors. If these
strange beings were both real and hostile to Wrotan and his
companions, then so too, would Lamont. The hunter concluded that it
was imperative that he find time to warn the other two, but the
difficulty would be in knowing how to do so without alerting
Lamont.

*

Finrul tapped his finger against the table
as he watched the hourglass slowly drain down to empty. He took a
deep breath as he stood up. His troops were growing anxious waiting
for his next command. The waiting was now over. Obrin had already
showed the sorcerer where he wanted him to open a portal to. Finrul
motioned for Revin to gather the troops before heading down to the
open fields. He held his hands forward and created a large shadow
portal. The cavalry rode through first, as planned. They were
followed by the infantry and the archers. Revin accompanied the
healers, the siege weaponry, and the supply train through the
portal. The sorcerer psyched himself up before stepping through the
portal.

“Pikemen and cavalry, seal up the pass.
Archers and swordsmen, get started on the barricades. I want
lookouts watching all directions. We win the fight today, simple as
that,” Finrul yelled as he arrived on the field.

The massive elven armies of the sea elves,
the forest elves, and the night elves were engaging the combined
forces of Alartius and Markurin. Finrul’s arrival ensured that the
human armies were unable to retreat. He made his way to the front
lines and watched as a large portion of the enemy’s army broke off
to engage his forces. The sun elves were to wait for the signal
from Obrin before attacking. Finrul didn’t let that stop him from
preparing the archers in the event that the enemy went through with
their charge. He was confident, however, that the dragons had other
plans. His suspicions were confirmed as a pair of dragons swooped
down from the skies. Several smaller dragons followed behind and
all of the dragons unleashed a firestorm on the enemy army. More
dragons joined in the assault as the first wave circled back around
for another pass.

“Tighten up the ranks. Prepare to charge.
Don’t let any of them get away!” Finrul yelled as the first
contingent of enemy troops broke into a charge.

“Sir, they haven’t given the signal yet,”
Revin said as he approached the mage.

“Hold for my signal,”

Finrul clenched his teeth as he watched the
battalion charging towards his men. His troops were as eager as he
was to take the battle to the enemy, but he knew that Revin was
right. Obrin would be furious if he attacked without receiving the
order. There was a violent tremor that set the troops on edge.
Rocks and earth flew into the air as a massive wingless dragon
burst from the ground. The beast let out a roar as it charged the
oncoming enemy troops. Several smaller wingless dragons followed
behind the creature. Finrul watched in a mixture of amazement and
horror as the dragons tore through the ranks of the humans. Both
the wingless and the winged dragons continued to take the battle to
the enemy as their elven allies retreated back to safety.

“What monstrosity have we unleashed on the
world?” Finrul asked.

“I’m not certain that the humans deserve
this,” Revin replied.

“We can’t back out now, not if that is what
we are up against.”

“You must have known this was a possibility.
Have you not worked with the dragons before?”

“Not like this. They’ve always been used to
defend the elves, never to cause this much destruction.”

“We must do something to stop them.”

“What can we do?” Finrul asked as he shook
his head.

*

Obrin smiled as he watched the dragons hunt
down the remaining enemy troops. Without a question, it was the
easiest battle he had participated in. He left orders with one of
his Generals before calling over the forest elf King and the sea
elf Queen. They waited as he opened a portal to the other side of
the pass. He followed them through the portal and found Finrul and
his troops to be in a state of shock. The night elf King chuckled
as he approached the sorcerer. He didn’t need the elf to be in step
with his own views of the dragons, he only needed him to follow
orders.

“You’ve done well, Finrul. The sun elf
throne may just be yours someday soon. I believe that you’ve
already met Queen Ophelia and King Lothrin, yes?” Obrin asked.

“In my service to Melisandre, yes,” Finrul
replied.

“Good, the three of you will be traveling to
the northwest to take Alartius’ capital.”

“What about you, sir?”

“I’ll be taking the rest of the dragons
south to the Markurin capital.”

“The rest of the dragons?” Ophelia
asked.

“Yes, we have much more than just a dozen
dragons. According to my calculations, we have over one hundred of
them,” Obrin replied.

*

Kade took the scabbard from his belt and
handed it to Attos. The sword had come to be a symbol of leadership
to the Knights of Ardevale and it was time for the young leader to
step aside. He knew that the others would not approve of his
decision, but this was something he needed to do for his own sake.
His companion fumbled with the sword as he attached it to his belt.
There was little doubt that the two of them saw the situation in a
different light. The two clasped hands and Kade pulled Attos in and
placed his free arm around him. As they let go, he placed two
fingers on the new leader’s heart.

“Lead with this” he moved his hand up to
Attos’ head, “and this as well.

“This isn’t right. I am no leader,’ Attos
said.

“Nor was I when I took over the Knights of
Ardevale. You may not have some greater mission to defeat
miscreants, but that is not why I succeeded. I found a brotherhood.
It was my fellow Knights that led me in the right direction, just
as they do now.”

“I don’t understand why you need to
leave.”

“My mind is not truly my own. That needs to
be remedied. I know not how to do so, but I will find a way.
Remember, the people need our leadership.”

The young man turned toward the forest. No
longer was he the leader of the Knights of Ardevale, yet he was
also not just the son of a tailor. He wandered into the forest,
hoping to find a clearing where he could rest and try to clear his
head. His path brought him to a small chapel. Though it seemed
remote, the grounds were still well tended. Kade slowly approached
the door and pushed it open. There was a lone priest inside the
chapel. The man looked to be well into his sixties. He motioned for
the young man to enter.

“Have you come looking for salvation?” The
priest asked.

“I was wandering the forest in search of a
place to be alone with my thoughts. Your chapel drew me in,” Kade
replied.

“You may very well find what you are looking
for here. Come, sit, pay your respects to the Maker.”

“Can the Maker heal a malady of the
mind?”

“Those that are truly worthy are cured of
all their woes. Would you care to partake of some wine?”

“I am not here for refreshments, though I
thank you for the offer. Perhaps you can intercede for me. You see,
I am but a young man that does not know the customs of the Maker.
Would you be willing to do so for me?” Kade asked.

“First you must partake of our food and
drink.” The man replied.

“Our? But there is only one of you.”

“You bore me, Knight. This ruse, it grows
tiresome. Many have come before you, but none of defeated my
brood.”

Kade reached for his sword, but remembered
that he had given it to Attos. He leaped backward as the fake
priest lunged at him. His attacker’s skin began to pale and his
features grew taut. He lashed out at the young man with claw-like
fingernails. Kade thrust his hand forward and a small black
tentacle shot out at the creature. It wrapped itself around the
thing’s arm and tried to pull the creature to the ground. His
opponent broke free from the tentacle and tackled him to the
ground. The two rolled around on the ground as Kade frantically
tried to gather his wits. He placed both his hands on the fake
priest’s chest and shot out a beam of energy. The beam tore through
his opponent, sending ashes flying about the chapel. He ran for the
door as his heart pounded. The fresh air welcomed him as he burst
out into the forest.

“Hail, friend,” a woman called out as she
approached.

“Do I know you?” Kade asked.

“No, but I could use a traveling companion,
shall we?”

“It would be an honor.”

The young man found himself enthralled by
the beautiful redhead. They conversed about various things, none of
which were of much importance. Kade relished every sentence that
they shared. In fact, he was beginning to suspect that he was
falling in love with her. The thought seemed rather strange though.
He escorted the maiden into a small meadow where she unpackaged her
harp and began to play. The music was nearly as mesmerizing as her
beauty. He found himself dancing along to the music. It was like
being caught up in a gentle stream. His encounter with the strange
creature from before seemed to melt away as he danced about the
meadow. The woman began to play a faster tune and Kade’s feet
matched the tempo. She smiled as she caught a glimpse of him
dancing. His heart seemed as though it wanted to stop when he
spotted the smile. She paused for a moment and motioned for him to
sit on a nearby rock.